Flaker



W. D. MOUNT.

FLAKER.

APPLICATION F-lLED DEC. 11, I919.

Patented May 18, 1920. I

Z SHEETSSHEET 1- WITNESS:

A TTORNE Y.

WILLIAM D. MOUNT, 0F LYNOHBURG, VIRGINIA.

FLAKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed December 11, 1919. Serial No. 344,228.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. MOUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flakers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to flaker machines and particularly to the means for cooling the rotary flaker drum. It has been proposed to congeal a liquid such as caustic soda or soap, by means of a cooled rotary drum mounted to rotate with a small portion of its periphery dipping into the liquid to be flaked, and to scrape the congealed substance from the periphery of the drum, the scrapings being then broken up into small flakes. If the cooling fluid entering the drum is merely conducted in at one side and out of the other, the entering fluid will settle to the bottom, because it is cooler than the fluid then in the drum, and the greatest cooling or congealing effect will be at the surface then in the llquid to be flaked and the warmest portion of the drum will be the top side. The best arrangement has been found to be where the cooling effect is the greatest on that ortion of the drum which has left the liquid and before it reaches the scraper.

An object of my invention is to provide a flaker in which the cooling fluid is supplied to the flaker drum in such a manner that the entering cooling fluid always engages first the portion of the cooling surface of the drum where the greatest cooling effect is desired, and leave it where the least cooling effect is .desired.

A further object is to provide a flaking machine of this kind which is efficient, compact, simple and durable in construction.

Other objects will appear from .the following description and the novel features of my invention will be pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention I mount a drum having a hollow flange and hollow spokes connecting the hollow flange with the bore of the hub upon a stationary bearing shaft, and supply the cooling fluid to one end of the stationary shaft from which it passes upwardly through that one of the spokes which happens to be substantially in a vertical position into the hollow flange, whereupon the fluid divides and passes through the hollow flange to the bottom, thence upwardly through another substantially vertical s oke into the other end of the stationary s aft,

from which it is discharged.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of one em-- bodiment of my invention.

- Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, and 1 Fig. 3 is a section on the line a-aof The liquid to be flaked is contained in the hollow pan 1, in the topof the heating unit 2 by which sufficient heat is supplied to the liquid to prevent its congelation. Supported in a pair of brackets 3 extending upwardly from the top of the heating unit, is a stationary hollow bearing member of shaft l. The shaft 4 has a partition 5 across its central hollow portion to divide the interior or hollow portion of the shaft into two noncommunication chambers 6 and 7 A pipe 8 is adapted to supply a cooling fluid to the chamber 7 through the closing plug 9 in that end of the shaft, and a pipe 10, opening into hamber '6 through the closing plug 11 in the other end ofthe shaft is adapted to remove the cooling fluid therefrom as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

The flaker drum 12 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 4 and properly positioned lengthwise of the shaft by means of an an-.

nular ring 13 on the shaft which is engaged by a shoulder 14 on the inside of the hub of the drum. Flanged sleeves 15 enter recesses 16 in the hub of the drum and coaxial therewith for compressing packing 17 between the hub of the drum and the shaft to prevent leakage of the cooling fluid from the drum along the shaft. The flanged sleeves can be held and adjusted toward the hub of the drum in any suitable manner, such as by a plurality of bolts 15 and the sleeve adjacent the ring 13 co-acts with the ring to hold the drum against displacement lengthwise of the sh "t.

The drum 12 has a hollow flange portion 18 providing a continuous chamber 19 along the periphery of the drum for the reception of a cooling fluid and the flange portion 18 is supportedfrom the hubby means of a plurality of hollow spokes 20 which connect the chamber 19 with the bore of the hub. The shaft 4 is provided with a pair of short passages or apertures 21 and 22 which coni v the pan.

nect chambers 6 and 7 respectively with the exterior of that portion of the shaft engaged by the hub of the drum. These passages are placed at. different angular positions around the shaft, and communicate with the hollow portions of the spokes as they pass thereover during rotation of the drum. It is desirable to remove the cooling fluid from the chamber 19 at the place where the least cooling effect is Wanted, which is in that portion then in engagement with the liquid in To this end, the passage 21 is placed on the under side of the bearing shaft 4 so as to communicate with the hollow spoke 20 which happens to be substantially vertical and 'on the lower side of the hub at any given time. The greatest cooling effect is desired between the point where the drum periphery leaves the liquid and the place where the congealed substance is removed. I have found that this is preferably diametrically opposite from the pan, and I therefore place the passage 22 diametrically opposite the passage 21 so that it communicates with those hollow spokes which happen to be substantially vertical at any given time. The cooling fluid therefore enters the chamber 7 through the pipe 8, passes upwardly through aperture or passage 22 into whichever spoke happens at that time to be substantially verticaland at the upper side of the shaft, from this hollow spoke into the chamber 19 whereupon itdivides and passes in both directions around the hub through the hollow flange portion to the lowermost portion thereof, thence upwardly through whichever spoke happens at that time to be substantially vertical and on the lower side of the hub, into chamber 6 by means of aperture or passage 21, and from the chamber 6 the fluid is removed by means of discharge pipe 10. As the drum revolves, one after another of the spokes will uncover and cover the passages 21 and 22 so that the fluid will always be supplied to the chamber 19 at the uppermost part of the drum and removed therefrom at the lowermost portion of the drum.

The drum rigidly carries thereon an internal gear 23 which is adapted to be driven by a pinion 24 meshing therewith and fixedly carried by a shaft 25. The shaft 25 is rotatably supported in an auxiliary bearing member 26 carried by one of the main supporting brackets 3, and is adapted to have driving power supplied thereto in any suitable Inanner. A number of short ribs 27 are disposed at intervals around the drum and partly across the chamber 19 to give additional support to the outer periphery ofv the drum from the inner wall of chamber 19, but these ribs do not prevent direct communication between any portions of the chamber 19. If no ribs 27 were provided, the cooling fluid would be likely to run through the central portion of the hollow flange like the greater flow of a stream in the center of its channel. The ribs 27 force 1 the cooling fluidto flow along the edges as by are broken up by devices (not shown) within the casing 28 anddischarged into a receptacle 30. A guard 31 may be disposed over the drum if desired.

In operation, the drum is rotated on the stationary shaft 4 continuouslyby means of pinion 2 1 and internal gear 23. As the periphery of the drum passes through the liquid in the pan some of the liquid adheres thereto and is carried out by the drum. The

cooling fluid in the drum congeals the substance removed from the pan and the congealedsubstance is scraped off and broken up into flakes by the scraper 29 and the mechanism within casing 28, after which the substance falls by gravity into the receptacle 8U. The'cooling fluid passes through pipe 8 into chamber 7 upwardly through passage 22 and whichever spoke happens to be over the passage 22 into the flange chamber 19. The upper point of the drum isthus in contact with the coldest fluid and the substance on the drum is chilled to the greatest extent I just before it reaches the scraper. The fluid divides and passes to the bottom of the drum where it is removed through the spoke which happens at that time to cover the passage 21, into the chamber 6 and is then discharged through pipe 1.0. The warmest fluid is thus at the section where the drum is in contact with the liquid substance to be flaked and this enables the liquid substance to more readily adhere to the drum than if the drum were too highly chilled at this point.

I claim:

1. In a flaker machine, the combination of a rotary member having a peripheral annular chamber upon the outer wall of which the material to be flaked is deposited, means for introducing a cooling agent to the uppermost portions of said chamber during all movements of the rotary member and for withdrawing the same from the lowerwear/ea I around the shaft, whereby as the drum moves on said shaft, the channels therein will be consecutively connected and discon- I ing fluid during movement to the jacket in a zone thereof Which is adjacent a portion of the congealing surface then at a distance from the surface in contact with the liquid in the pan and to remove it from the zone of the jacket adjacent the surface then in contact with the liquid.

4. In a fiaker machine the combination of a. pan containing a liquid substance to be flaked, a drum having a congealing surface adapted to enter and leave the liquid and a cooiing jacket arranged along the congiealing surface, an annular scraper for removing the congealed substance, and supporting means for the member cooperating therewith to supply a cooling fluid automatically during movement to the jacket in a zone adjacent the congealing surface which is distant from the portion of the surface then in contact with the liquid in the pan, and to remove it from the jacket in a zone adjacent the portion of the congealing surface in contact with the liquid.

5. In a flaker machine, the combination with a pan containing the liquid substance to be flaked, of a stationary shaft, a drum rotatably mounted on the shaft and dipping slightly into the liquid, said drum and shaft having coiiperating passages whereby liquid introduced into one end of the. shaft will automatically pass first to a portion of the drum not then in contact with the liquid in the pan and be removed from the portion of the drum then in contact with the liquid.

6. In a fiaker machine the combination of a pan containing a liquid to be flaked, a drum comprising a hollow flange, a bored hub, and a plurality of spokes having channels therein for connecting the hollow flange with the bore of the hub, a two chambered b-aring member passing through the bore of the hub and supporting the drum for rotation thereon, said bearing member having two channels therein, one leading from each chamber to the portion of the bearing surface engaged by the hub of the drum, said channels opening into the bearing surface of the hub at different angular positions around the bearing member, and connections for supplying a cooling fluid to one chamber of the bearing member and removing it from the other chamber thereof.

7. In a flaker machine the combination of a pan containing-a liquid to be flaked, a drum comprising a hollow flange, a bored hub, and a plurality of spokes having channels therein for connecting the hollow flange with the bore of the hub, a stationary hollow shaft, having a partition extending transversely of the hollow portion for closing one end of the shaft from direct communication with the other end, said shaft having channels, one leading from the bearing portion of the shaft to each side of the partition, the openings ofsaid channels into the bearing surface being angularly spaced around the shaft and adapted to open into the chan nels of different spokes when the drum is. in certain angular zones.

8. In a flaker machine, the combination of a rotary member having a peripheral chamberupon the outer wall of which the material to be ilaked is deposited, means for introducing a cooling agent to the up permostiportions of said chamber during all rotary movements of the member and for withdrawing the same from the lowermost portions thereof, and means within the peripheral chamber for causing the cooling agent to flow aRmg the sides as well as the center of the chamber! Q i v 9. In a fiaker machine, the combination of a rotary member having a peripheral chamber upon the outer wall of which'the material to be flaked is deposited, means for introducing a cooling agent to the uppermost portions of said chamber during all rotary movements of the member and for withdrawin the same from the lowermost portions thereof, and baffle plates arranged at a plurality of positions in said chamber to cause the cooling agent to pass along the sides as well as the center of the chamber.

- In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my signature. WILLIAM B. MOUNT. 

